Toronto Raptors

In the end, it wasn't even close. The Raptors beat the Heat handedly in game seven of their second round series to advance to the Eastern Conference finals against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. The final score was 116-89.

Prior to tipoff, I was surprised by how little anxiety I felt. It was as if I had seen the game and knew we won. Here's what I tweeted.

I'm surprised how optimistic I'm feeling about this game 7. I sincerely believe we'll win this game.

Kyle Lowry was unbelievably good. He scored 35 points, added 9 assists and 8 rebounds. DeMar DeRozan wasn't too shabby himself, finishing with 28 points and 8 rebounds. This is the backcourt that led us to the 2 seed in the East.

Bismack Biyombo added 17 points and 16 rebounds, helping us forget that Jonas Valančiūnas was watching from the sidelines in a camouflage suit.

This is now, without a doubt, the most successful Raptors season in franchise history. It's our first conference final, and equals the distance the 2015 Blue Jays went before they bowed out in the ALCS. The Leafs haven't been to a conference final since 2001-02.

I'm not going to worry about what lies ahead. Instead, I'm going to enjoy the fact we've finally won a conference semi-final series. How sweet it is!

Prior to game 3 in the Raptors ~ Heat series, Dwyane Wade was caught shooting during the singing of O Canada. Here's the video evidence.

I get the feeling I'm supposed to get all riled up about this, yet I feel nothing. Was it disrespectful? Probably. Should Wade apologize and promise not to do it again? Probably. But I sure don't feel angry about it.

Maybe that's because I don't really believe we should be singing anthems before games. Maybe that's because I don't believe Wade was trying to slight this country. Maybe that's because there are enough upsetting things in the world, and this one just doesn't make the cut.

I just want to see the Raps come out and win tonight so we have a chance to clinch at home in game five. That's what has me all riled up.

Heading into last night's game seven at the ACC, I was asked for my prediction. With apologies to Forrest Gump, I ended up comparing the Raptors to a box of chocolates. I could see us winning big, but I could also see us losing big.

The Raptors could win by 20 tonight or lose by 20 tonight, and neither would surprise me. I have no clue which Raps team will show up.

Despite our two all-stars still struggling to make buckets, we were up by 14 to start the fourth quarter. A 14-point lead never felt so fragile. With just under three minutes to play, that lead was down to 3.

We held on, as you know, to advance to the second round for only the second time in franchise history. We'll face the Heat and I'm thinking we'll have to shoot better than 38.2% if we're going to have a chance at advancing.

Thank you Cory Joseph, thank you Norman Powell, thank you Patrick Patterson, and thank you DeMarre Carroll. Bring on the Heat!

Let's go back to the Rudy Gay trade. It was late 2013, and the Raptors traded Rudy Gay to the Sacramento Kings in a 7-player deal. The Kings sending John Salmons, Greivis Vasquez, Patrick Patterson and Chuck Hayes to Toronto in exchange for Gay, Aaron Gray and Quincy Acy.

That's when the Raptors team I fell in love with was born. Everything came together the remainder of that season. They immediate went on a 10-3 run and finally rose above .500. DeMar DeRozan was an all-star. We won the Atlantic Division, but lost to the Nets in the first round. Fuck Brooklyn.

We started the 2014-15 season 24-8. The core of Kyle Lowry and DeRozan won us another Atlantic Division title. We won a franchise record 49 games that season, but not a single one in the playoffs.

That brings us to this season. I watched more Raptors basketball this season than ever before. Lowry and DeRozan were all-stars again, and this team was exciting. 56 wins is a new franchise record, and for the first time ever, the Raps were a 2 seed in the conference. As pleased as I was with the regular season, I'm no fool. Here's a thorough explanation as to why I was showing restraint.

The Raptors have never won a best-of-seven playoff round. Never. This team was built to change that, but proof is in the pudding. Winning one round is essential, but it's going to take at least two to satisfy fans.

This pudding tastes like shit. Our all-stars are shooting miserably. At least Lowry is contributing in other ways. On most nights, DeRozan is most helpful with his ass nailed to the bench. I'd argue, with Lowry and DeRozan unable to make baskets, we're the least intimidating 2 seed in NBA history.

Tomorrow night is game 7. As a guy who has invested so many hours in this teams, I'm pissed, hurt, disappointed and dismayed. Do I believe we can win this series? Hell no. I hope I'm wrong, but I know stealing this series in seven likely means getting swept in round two. This is not a team built for the playoffs. This is a team built for the regular season.

Our We The North flag continues to hang in the bay window, and we're still hoping the regular season Raps show up Sunday night, but the writing's on the wall. The team needs an enema.

Tonight, I surprised myself. I was at the Raptors game with the family and when Vince Carter entered the game, I found myself cheering. It was completely spontaneous. I was sincerely happy to see him again.

Less than two years ago I wrote this about Vince Carter. He quit on us, forcing Rob Babcock to make a terrible trade, and I was still pissed. There was no way I was going to forgive Vince for how he left this team.

But there I was, with my 22-month old on my lap, flanked by my 14-year old and 11-year old, applauding Vince, and all that bitterness dissipated. I remembered the good times, and there were many. I remembered how he put this franchise on the map, the consistent flashes of brilliance and the complete and total Vinsanity that engulfed this city.

It helps that I recently blew my kids' minds with YouTube videos of his best plays, and that he'll likely retire without a championship. It also helps that this team he abandoned is so damn good now, and to be honest, it helps that I'm older now, with new perspective on sport and life.

The Toronto Raptors have won 14 of their last 15 games. They're doing it as a team, they're doing it on the road, they're doing it with defense and they're doing it without DeMarre Carroll. But make no mistake, this team is doing it.

The Raps are only 2 games behind the Cavs in the Eastern Conference, and as exciting as it's been, we fans are showing great restraint. This team will be judged by one thing and one thing only, and that's success in the playoffs.

The Raptors have never won a best-of-seven playoff round. Never. This team was built to change that, but proof is in the pudding. Winning one round is essential, but it's going to take at least two to satisfy fans.

I'm hopeful the Raptors will give me something to get jazzed about. I loved their regular season last year, and this year's team is the same core with some good defensive upgrades. I'm willing to bet this year's team can even win a playoff game or two.

The Raps tip off tonight against the Pacers. Here are your 2015 Toronto Raptors:

Anthony Bennett - PF

Bismack Biyombo - PF/C

DeMarre Carroll - SF

Bruno Caboclo - PF

DeMar DeRozan - SG/SF

James Johnson - PF

Cory Joseph - PG/SG

Kyle Lowry - PG

Patrick Patterson - PF

Norman Powell - SG

Lucas Nogueira - C

Terrence Ross - SG/SF

Luis Scola - PF/C

Jonas Valanciunas - C

Delon Wright - G

If you want some more insight into the 2015 Raptors, and a peak behind the Canadian basketball media curtain, listen to my recent chat with Eric Smith.

Firstly, this entry is about NHL, NBA, NFL and MLB championships. I realize Toronto has had great success in lacrosse and has won Grey Cups recently, but with all due respect, I'm not counting them as major championships. For Toronto, I'm only counting the Maple Leafs, Blue Jays and Raptors.

That means Toronto hasn't won a championship since 1993. That's a 22 year drought. As bad as that sounds, many cities have it worse.

San Diego

Let's start with San Diego. The Chargers haven't won since 1963, the Padres have never won a World Series, and even their former NBA teams (Rockets and Clippers) didn't win a thing.52 year drought

Cleveland

I'm rooting heavily for the Cavaliers in this year's NBA championship and they're currently tied 1-1 with the Warriors. The Cavs have never won a title, the Indians haven't won since 1948 and the Browns haven't won since 1964.51 year drought

Buffalo

Buffalo only has the two teams, but that's enough to count. The Sabres have never won a Stanley Cup and the Bills haven't won since 1965.50 year drought

Kansas City

Kansas City also only has two teams, but they did have a short-lived NHL and NBA franchise. Neither won a thing. The Chiefs haven't won the Super Bowl since 1970 and the Royals haven't won a World Series since 1985.30 year drought

Oakland

The Golden State Warriors haven't won since 1975, the Oakland Raiders haven't won since 1983, and the A's haven't won since 1989.26 year drought

Cincinnati

The Bengals have been consistently brutal throughout the years, never winning a title. Meanwhile, the Reds haven't won a World Series since 1990.25 year drought

Minneapolis-St. Paul

The Vikings have never won a Super Bowl, the North Stars and Wild have never won a Stanley Cup, the Timberwolves have never won and the Twins haven't won a World Series since 1991.24 year drought

Washington

The Bullets / Wizards haven't won since 1978, the Capitals have never won, the Nationals have never won and their NFL franchise hasn't won a Super Bowl since 1992.23 year drought

The Raptors finished the regular season 49-33, easily winning the division. We're the 4th seed in the East, which means we'll face #5 Washington in the first round. For what it's worth, we swept the Wizards in the regular season, beating them three times.

It's rather important the Raptors win a round this season. We've only won one playoff series in franchise history, and that was way back in 2001. A loss in the first round this year could and should mean serious changes are in store for this rather likable squad.

The thing is, it's a tale of two Raptors teams. There's the juggernaut that burst out of the gates 37-17, then there's the Raptors team that underwhelmed down the stretch, going 12-16 since February 20. Heck, we've lost 10 of our last 11 games against opponents above .500. Not so good, Al.

I catch every Leafs and Raptors game I can, and lately, it's been pure joy. The Leafs are 9-1-1 since getting hammered by Nashville. The Raptors have been hot all season, now 19-6, good for first place in the Eastern Conference.

Since then, the Leafs have gone in the toilet. They're junk. We've lost seven of our last eight games, and have scored one single goal over the last four games. That's incredible ineptitude.

Meanwhile, the Raptors are on a slide, having lost six of eight. They'll likely bounce back, as they're actually a good team. The Leafs, a bad team, are toast.